The Present Subjunctive Mood

The Present Subjunctive Mood

By Russell Sabo

Would you like to express your personal views in Spanish? How about emotions, or to talk about the possibilities? Sometimes you just need to talk about things that aren’t facts, at least not yet, or maybe never. When we talk about these subjects in Spanish we use the subjunctive mood. This article will focus on the present subjunctive mood.

Habl+en=Hablen (You all (formal) speak. They (males or a mixed group) speak. They (all females) speak)

Com+an=Coman (You all (formal) eat. They (males or a mixed group) eat. They (all females) eat)

Viv+an=Vivan (You all (formal) live. They (males or a mixed group) live. They (all females) live)

Basically, the trick here is to give the verbs the “other” endings. To clarify, the verbs that normally end with AR will receive the normal present indicative ER endings, and the ER/IR verbs will receive the normal present indicative AR endings.

None of the verbs above demonstrate the use of the first person singular (yo) use very well. To better show the use of the first person singular forms, here’s a small list of verbs that do show how it’s used:

tener – tenga, tengas, tenga, tengamos, tengáis, tengan

hacer – haga, hagas, haga, hagamos, hagáis, hagan

caer – caiga, caigas, caiga, caigamos, caigáis, caigan

salir – salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgáis, salgan

traer – traiga, traigas, traiga, traigamos, traigáis, traigan

concluir – concluya, concluyas, concluyamos, concluyáis, concluyan

Present Subjunctive and Reflexive Verbs

The reflexive pronoun appears in front of the conjugated verb.

mirarse – to look at oneself

que me mire

que te mires

que se mire

que nos miremos

que os miréis

que se miren

Present Subjuntive and Stem-Changing Verbs

Stem-changing verbs will keep their normal stem changes in the present subjunctive mood.

Pensar – To think

que yo piense

que tú pienses

que usted, él, ella piense

que nosotros pensemos

que vosotros penséis

que ustedes, ellos, ellas piensen

Devolver – To return (something)

que yo devuelva

que tú devuelvas

que usted, él, ella devuelva

que nosotros devolvamos

que vosotros devolváis

que ustedes, ellos, ellas devuelvan

Stem-changing verbs that have the -IR ending will also keep their change in the nosotros and vosotros form

Pedir – to order, to ask for, to request

que yo pida

que tú pidas

que usted, él, ella pida

que nosotros pidamos

que vosotros pidáis

que ustedes, ellos, ellas pidan

Morir – To die

que yo muera

que tú mueras

que usted, él, ella muera

que nosotros muramos

que vosotros muráis

que ustedes, ellos, ellas mueran

Also, there are 6 verbs that are irregular in the present subjunctive mood

dar – to give

estar – to be

haber – to have

ir – to go

saber – to know

ser – to be

And here are their conjugations.

dar – to give

yo dé

tú des

usted, él, ella dé

nosotros demos

vosotros deis

ustedes, ellos, ellas den

estar – to be

yo esté

tú estés

usted, él, ella esté

nosotros estemos

vosotros estéis

ustedes, ellos, ellas estén

haber – to have

yo haya

tú hayas

usted, él, ella haya

nosotros hayamos

vosotros hayáis

ustedes, ellos, ellas hayan

ir – to go

yo vaya

tú vayas

usted, él, ella vaya

nosotros vayamos

vosotros vayáis

ustedes, ellos, ellas vayan

saber – to know

yo sepa

tú sepas

usted, él, ella sepa

nosotros sepamos

vosotros sepáis

ustedes, ellos, ellas sepan

ser – to be

yo sea

tú seas

usted, él, ella sea

nosotros seamos

vosotros seáis

ustedes, ellos, ellas sean

Keep in mind also that some words will have spelling changes. There are 5 types of spelling changes that will occur in the present subjunctive and these are as follows:

Verbs with the -car ending: the “c” changes to “qu”.

Verbs with the -cer or -cir ending (preceded with a consonant): the “c” changes to “z”.

Verbs with the -gar ending: the “g” changes to “gu”.

Verbs with the -ger or -gir ending: the “g” changes to “j”.

Verbs with the -zar ending: the “z” changes to “c”.

Spelling Change in -gar Verbs

pagar – to pay

yo pague

nosotros paguemos

tú pagues

vosotros paguéis

usted, él, ella pague

ustedes, ellos, ellas paguen

Spelling Change in -car Verbs

tocar – to touch, to play (an instrument)

yo toque

nosotros toquemos

tú toques

vosotros toquéis

usted, él, ella toque

ustedes, ellos, ellas toquen

Spelling Change in -zar Verbs

trazar – to trace

yo trace

nosotros tracemos

tú traces

vosotros tracéis

usted, él, ella trace

ustedes, ellos, ellas tracen

Spelling Change in -ger Verbs

proteger – to protect

yo proteja

nosotros protejamos

tú protejas

vosotros protejáis

usted, él, ella proteja

ustedes, ellos, ellas protejan

Spelling Change in -gir Verbs

fingir – to pretend

yo finja

nosotros finjamos

tú finjas

vosotros finjáis

usted, él, ella finja

ustedes, ellos, ellas finjan

Spelling Change in -cer Verbs

ejercer – to exercise

yo ejerza

nosotros ejerzamos

tú ejerzas

vosotros ejerzáis

usted, él, ella ejerza

ustedes, ellos, ellas ejerzan

Spelling change in -cir Verbs

zurcir – to mend, to darn

yo zurza

nosotros zurzamos

tú zurzas

vosotros zurzáis

usted, él, ella zurza

ustedes, ellos, ellas zurzan

When to Use the Present Subjunctive

So when does somebody use the present subjunctive? The easy answer is: OFTEN!!! But getting down to specifics, there’s a long list of the times when you should use the present subjunctive. Let’s get started then!

To Show Desire

When you wish to show your desire for something or some action. The following verbs will indicate that the present subjunctive is needed:

To Command

You can express a command without using the Imperative (Command) tense. Using the present subjunctive isn’t as direct as the Imperative tense, but sometimes you don’t want to be direct. Sometimes a suggestion or a recommendation will get the point across, and who really wants to sound like a tyrannical dictator throwing out direct commands all the time?

Ruego que apagues la silla eléctrica. – I beg that you turn off the electric chair.

Sugieres que yo tome el ron. – You suggest that I drink the rum.

To Show Emotion

You can use the present subjunctive mood to say how you feel about something.

alegrarse – to be glad

enojarse de que – to be angry that

esperar – to hope

estar contento de que – to be glad that

lamentar – to regret

molestar(se) que – to be annoyed that

sentir – to regret

temer – to fear

Me alegra que todo esté bién. – I am glad that all is well.

Espero que tengas un gran día. – I hope that you have a great day.

Lamentas que no puedas venir. – You regret that you cannot come.

Él siente que su hijo sea tonto. – He regrets that his son is a fool.

Ella teme que lo peor venga. – She fears that the worst is coming.

To Show Doubts and Express Denial

You don’t think he did it and you’re pretty sure you didn’t do it. Then deny it. And while you’re at it, let the listener know that you don’t think your friend did it either. It had to be somebody else. But when you do it, do it with the present subjunctive.

no creer – to not believe

dudar – to doubt

negar – to deny

no estar convencido de que – to not be convinced

no estar seguro/a de que – to not be sure

no imaginarse que – to not imagine that

no parecer que – to not seem that

no pensar – to not think

no suponer que – to not suppose that

temer que – to fear/suspect that

No creo que el oso sea amable. – I don’t believe that the bear is friendly.

Él no esta convencido de que Fred mate dragones. – He is not convinced that Fred kills dragons.

No estamos seguro de que no robes los bancos. – We are not sure that you don’t rob the banks.

¿Niegas que yo vea el asesinato? – You deny that I saw the murder?

No pienso que eso sea una buena idea. – I don’t think that is a good idea.

To Express Impersonal Expressions

There are some impersonal expressions in which you will use the present subjunctive. These expressions don’t necessarily convey the truth so much as a personal opinion. What is important to one person isn’t necessarily important to another. The same with ‘incredible,’ or ‘easy,’ and so on. So with the following expressions, use the present subjunctive.

There are a few impersonal expressions that you’ll use that don’t require the present subjunctive. These expressions have to do with ways of stating facts, such as “Es cierto que – it’s certain that,” “Es evidente que – It’s evident that,” “Es obvio que – It’s obvious that,” and “Es verdad que – It’s true that.” When you use these expression, use the present indicative. “Es obvio que hablas mucho. – It’s obvious that you talk a lot.”

es cierto que – it’s certain that, it’s true that

es evidente que – it’s evident that

es obvio que – it’s obvious that

es verdad que – it’s true that

está comprobado que – it’s proven that

no hay duda que – there’s no doubt that

However, when you use these expressions in the negative, then use the present subjunctive. “No es obvio que hables mucho. – It’s not obvious that you talk a lot.”

To Express the Indefinite or the Negative

Pretend you’re searching for a clothing store in a large city. It’s a sure bet that at least one exists, but until you find one, you can’t be sure. You tell somebody that you’re searching for a store that sells clothes. “Busco una tienda que venda ropa. – I’m looking for a store that sells clothes.” The verb “vender” becomes “venda.”

The person replies to you, “No hay una tienda que venda ropa aquí. – There is no store that sells clothes here.” Such a store doesn’t exist in this city and so the reply warrants the present subjunctive, leaving you to walk away, wondering what kind of city doesn’t have a clothing store.

Time References

When you are saying that something will happen when the time comes or when the time is right, use the present subjunctive.

antes de que – before

cuando – when

despues de que – after

en cuanto – as soon as

hasta que – until

mientras que – while

tan pronto como

Antes de que salgas, debes ducharte. – Before you go out, you should take a shower.

Perhaps…Maybe…I hope…

Of course, you should always use the present subjunctive mood when you’re using the mother of all uncertainty: Maybe. The words “maybe” and “perhaps” are expressed using the words: “tal vez” and “quiza(s)”. If you’re reading, you may also see the word “acaso”, which also means “perhaps”.

Quizas ella esté en la tienda. – Perhaps she is in the store.

Tal vez él no sea un mal tipo. – Perhaps he isn’t a bad guy.

And let’s not forget about “ojalá”, which means “I hope that”.

Ojalá que ella cante una buena cancion. – I hope that she sings a good song.

Sign Up for the Spanish Word of the Day!

Sign up here for your Spanish Word of the Day! You will receive our daily e-mail which includes:

The Present Subjunctive Mood
By Russell Sabo
Would you like to express your personal views in Spanish? How about emotions, or to talk about the possibilities? Sometimes you just need to talk about things that aren't facts, at least not yet, or maybe never. When we talk about these subjects in Spanish we use the subjunctive mo